Holtby, Beagle carry Capitals past Rangers
Braden Holtby made 30 saves Monday night for his second career playoff shutout and Jay Beagle scored his first goal of this postseason, giving the Capitals a 1-0 victory over the visiting Rangers.
Alex Ovechkin was held without a goal for the first time in the series. It was one of the Capitals’ less-heralded players, Beagle, who put the puck past Henrik Lundqvist on a second-effort shot that he banked off the goalie’s skate 71⁄ minutes into the second period to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Holtby was at his glove-catching best, including stopping Martin St. Louis six minutes after Beagle scored, and the crowd chanted the goalie’s last name at the final buzzer.
It was a typical nail-biter for the Rangers: They have participated in 10 consecutive playoff games decided by one goal, an NHL record.
And in seven of its eight games in this year’s playoffs, the Rangers have allowed two goals or fewer.
But under first-year coach Barry Trotz, and with Holtby matching Lundqvist save for save, the Capitals are proving just as adept at this sort of tight, low-scoring hockey.
Despite getting outshot 30-22, the Capitals did manage stretches of sustained pressure in the Rangers’ zone, including leading up to the only goal. And the score came from a surprising source: the line of Beagle, Troy Brouwer and Andre Burakovsky. They had zero goals through the Capitals’ first nine games of the postseason.